By What are boiler tubes? Where do people use boiler tubes? How is it cleaned, and why is it important? These are the factors that this page will give answers to. There are a lot of methods that can be used, but some tend to be messy, hard, and inconvenient. In result, different methods have been developed and used throughout the years.
Breaking this down starting with boilers. First, what are boilers? It is a vessel that is used to keep fluids (usually water) contained. These things then produce steam which is made due to the vessel’s ability to heat the liquid till it reaches boiling point, hence the name “boilers.” You would think, what’s so special about it? It just boils water, right?
Keep in mind that these boilers are not your typical pot and kettle at home that you use to boil water, these are large vessels that are used in an industrial scale. The steam produced by these massive boilers are used in different applications, such as generating power for engines and generators.
The wear and tear of these boilers are usually due to it being used consistently for long periods of time. These vessels will then start to collect unwanted elements. These elements develop in time because of water minerals engagement with the heat transfer surface – resulting to changes in a boiler’s effectiveness.
Water Tube Boiler vs Firetube Boiler
The “Benson,” “Lamont,” and “Loeffler” boiler are some examples of water tube boilers. This type of boiler functions with water flow inside the tubes, together with high temperature gases that evolves around it. The water tube boiler is commonly used for oil, chemical, and petrochemical power plants that needs high-pressure applications.
Firetube boiler on the other hand, is the opposite. This boiler has hot gases passing through the tubes. Then its water that circulates around the tube and surrounds it. Firetube boilers are usually used for heating systems for residential and commercial buildings. On an industrial scale, boilers such as the “Chochran” is used for paper processing power plants.
Cleaning the Boilers
Soot deposits can accumulate in these vessels – soot is usually formed in firetube boilers. As for water tube boilers, mineral deposits or “scaling” is what transpires. These deposits can disrupt a boiler’s ability to function, which is a huge problem on an industrial scale. It can affect important power plants where societies rely on mostly.
To prevent severe damage to these vessels and its production, maintenance is utilized. A huge part of maintenance for boilers is cleaning. It is also said earlier that here are multiple ways to clean boilers, but mainly there are only two; mechanical, and chemical cleaning. If you want to know more about the other methods, click here.
Difference of Mechanical and Chemical Cleaning
Mechanical cleaning utilizes tools and equipment. Some examples are brushes and scrapers. The chemical method on the other hand uses acids to eliminate the minerals through a chemical reaction. The use of the two differs from the severity and thickness of deposits that are needed to be removed. Here are some of the tools used for boiler tube cleaning:
- SAM-3 Cleaner
- RAM-4X Rotary Cleaner
- AWT-100 Rotary Cleaner
- GDS-C40 Descaler
- GDS-15-PH Descaler
Importance of Cleaning Boiler Tubes
The prevention of productivity and damage are frequently mentioned in this page, those are important. But what’s more important are the safety and lives of people who uses and interacts with these boiler tubes. From a small-scale use at home, to a large-scale use to run industries and power plants – these vessels contribute so much to humans.
Operating such boiler tubes always comes with a hazard. Take note, that these vessels play with boiling water and hot gases. The guidelines and materials that were discussed in this page is just an overview. Remember that in this regard, it is always better to consult technicians and professionals that know more about these machines and cleaning systems.
More Than Just a Machine
As a normal human living your life, how could you have imagined that these humble boiler tubes largely contribute to our way of life. A lot of refineries and processing power plants are boiler powered. The same power plants that manufacture things like paper, and pulp. It processes oil, food, and other important chemicals that our society uses.
These boilers are also found in schools, high-rise buildings, clinics, businesses, and even military installations. As an important contributor to our people, industry, and even military – it is only right that boiler tubes are taken care of. Sadly, still a lot of facilities are not fully bought in. Most believe that buying them is enough.
Many don’t take the necessary maintenance; they allow problems to grow. Machines deteriorate faster the longer the signs are ignored. They don’t realize that regular maintenance and cleaning of boiler machines are cheaper. An important reminder for businesspeople; fixing an immediate problem early will save you a lot of money down the line.
